Want to know a unique way of saving money when it comes to Wedding Photography? Employing amateurs might sound like a risky business, but there are fanatical people out there who love their chosen hobby. These fanatics, or more appropriately enthusiastic amateurs, are amongst the most knowledgeable people on the planet when it comes to photography. They are most likely to have all the gear necessary to capture your special day for a fraction of the price.
Please don't think that all amateurs will be able to fulfill the job description. Just because your Uncle Jack has purchased the very latest all singing all dancing digital SLR will not guarantee that he has the passion or the enthusiasm, it just means that he has the spare cash to buy the latest bling accessory!
Where do you look to find these talented and enthusiastic amateur photographers? The ones that can think out of the box artistically and creatively, and the most likely to have a passion for photography that far exceeds the skills for a wedding. All of the above can be found at your local Photographic Association Camera Club.
Associations are normally county-wide and consist of associate members, or camera clubs who may be local to your town or region. These camera clubs are filled with just the sort of photographers who have the right attitude and equipment to set up part-time wedding photography businesses. Camera clubs often have competitive meetings with other camera clubs in their region.
Inter-club rivalry helps to keep the photographers focussed on the quality of their work. They will be looking out for conflicting or clashing backgrounds, they will be looking out for where the light is coming from, its intensity, its quality. They will know the types of lens and power of flash to use for changing conditions indoor and in the great outdoors. Most importantly they will be looking for pleasing compositions for your shots. Many clubs hold regular studio nights so that they can learn the effectiveness of studio lighting with model portrait photography.
Prices for weddings charged by photographers who do it part time and belong to camera clubs can be as much as a third the price of a full time professional. In the U.K. it is not unusual to be quoted £2000 for forty photographs and a DVD, whereas the savvy part-time photographer will only charge £600 for the same package with two passionate photographers to cover your event.
As soon as an amateur charges for their work, they have to apply a professional label to their enterprise, and adhere to the same tax and DVD license purchase as any other professional. The difference is that they are part time professionals who care and love their hobby that much more and who would love to work with you to create the perfect wedding story in photos for your album and DVD.
Many of these amateurs hold down a day job, so they may only be available for evening or weekend weddings. Those that will assist you for a weekday wedding may have to charge slightly more to cover their loss of annual leave from their day job. Either way you are sure to be surprised by the difference in prices charged by the full time professionals.
The author - Glen Diamond, is one such enthusiastic amateur who has recently set up a part time wedding business with a few other photographers from his camera club. http://www.professional-wedding-photographer-kent.co.uk is one such organisation that employs enthusiastic amateurs for part-time wedding photography in a caring and professional manner.
